Sri Lankan team appears in Mumbai for World Cup final

Ringed by commandos and crack units of the Mumbai police, the Sri Lankan team arrived on Wednesday for the April 2 cricket World Cup final at the Wankhede Stadium.

Looking all keyed up for the mega battle, the Kumar Sangakkara-led team trooped into the Taj hotel in the afternoon and immediately thereafter turned to the television to watch the semifinal between India and Pakistan in Mohali.

The winner of the Mohali match will play the Sri Lankan for the title. The islanders got past New Zealand by five wickets in the first semifinal in Colombo on Tuesday.

A large posse of policemen were deployed on both sides of the route from the airport to the team hotel to ensure fool-proof security for the Sri Lankan players and officials, said a Mumbai Cricket Association official.

Cricket world cup craze strikes LU

In the wake of the semi-final match of the Cricket World Cup involving neighbours and arch rivals India and Pakistan match on Wednesday, March 30, the Lucknow University has decided to advance its Executive Council meeting to 11.30 a.m, which was earlier scheduled at 4 p.m. As per the university officials, the best time to organise the meeting is between two examination shifts so that no one misses on the match.

Various faculty members are also of the view that the second shift examination scheduled on Wednesday should be postponed. "If the EC meeting can be advanced for the match, students should also get the benefit. For the same, the examination in the second shift should be postponed." However, controller of examination, Prof Yashvir Tyagi said, "There is no possibility to postpone the examination as of now. And no such requests will be entertained."

Setting Deadline for Ponting

Under-fire Australia captain Ricky Ponting was given just three days to decide his future on Monday as selectors said the next one-day squad would be announced on Wednesday. Ponting, who let slip Australia's 12-year grasp on the World Cup last week - just three months after their heavy Ashes defeat - has already hinted that he may step down. Cricket Australia said a squad for next month's three-match one-day tour of Bangladesh was expected to be announced on Wednesday, effectively setting a deadline for the veteran skipper. Ponting, 36, returned home on Sunday following Australia's quarterfinal exit from the World Cup at the hands of India, saying he was considering his position this week.

"I'll have the opportunity over the next couple of days to reflect on where things are headed for me and certainly what direction I feel things are heading for the betterment of Australian cricket," the Test and one-day captain told reporters. "I have to really decide what I think is right for me and the team going forward." Australia play three one-day matches against Bangladesh on April 9, 11 and 13, with Ponting previously stating that he wanted to lead the team on the tour. But Ponting has since suggested he could quit as captain, saying he was prepared to play on under the likely leadership of his deputy Michael Clarke and bat anywhere in the order. "I see myself as a leader around the group, simple as that, whether I'm captain or not I still think I've got a lot to offer as far as leadership qualities go," he said.

Though heartened by support of teammates and senior officials, Ponting said he was "absolutely" prepared to drop down the order and step down as captain "if that's what they (CA) and I believe is the best way forward". Ponting, who has been under attack since the 3-1 Ashes series defeat to England, scored a fighting 104 but it was not enough to prevent India from knocking the champions out in last Thursday's quarterfinal in Ahmedabad. He has now presided over the end of Australia's 12-year run as World Cup champions after his third Ashes series defeat as captain to England.

Ponting, who has been captain for nine years, had a difficult World Cup, taking a reprimand from the International Cricket Council after smashing a dressing-room TV in a fit of fury after being run out against Zimbabwe. He was also criticised for angrily throwing the ball to the ground after colliding with teammate Steven Smith during their victory against Canada, and for failing to walk in the group match defeat by Pakistan.

South Africa disturbed at Cricket World Cup

In 1992 when I was at Edgbaston, England, covering the Cricket World Cup, I thought I witnessed the biggest letdown of all time when South Africa was ousted in the semifinals by eventual champion Australia. Boy was I wrong. Yesterday’s South African loss to New Zealand tops it. On that previous occasion South Africa required nine off the last over. Lance Klusener hit two fours off Damien Fleming from the first two balls. One run off four balls would be no problem, right? A mix-up between Klusener and Allan Donald saw Donald stranded giving the Aussies an unlikely victory.

Apparently it was at this match when the legendary “C” word first came into being. And, in a strange twist of irony, Donald is now bowling coach of New Zealand. South Africa’s star-studded World Cup squad arrived on the Indian sub-continent last month, determined to once and for all bury the “choke” label that has haunted it since that day. And this edition of the team had good reason to be upset when the word was uttered as news conferences. After all, South Africa is one of the top three teams in the world and was strong in every facet of the game. But some reporters realized how easy it would be to ruffle the South Africans. Ace all-rounder Jacques Kallis fired back at one: “They should go and look up the meaning of chokers in the dictionary first.”

Had they, those same reporters probably would have noticed a group picture of the Proteas illustrating the word. And, there will be no respite for the Proteas when they board that flight back to Johannesburg as that dreaded word will be ringing in their ears again. Upsets add spice to any tournament but what took place inside the bowels of the Shere Bangla Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Friday will be talked about for years. South Africa was the second favourite to land the trophy it has never won, while few gave the Black Caps, who have never reached the final, a chance of advancing to the semis. New Zealand’s next opponent will be the winner of Saturday’s semi between England and Sri Lanka. Pakistan takes on India in the other.

South Africa’s skipper Graeme Smith did a creditable job in the field with his bowling changes to restrict New Zealand to 221 for eight. New Zealand started off badly, losing its first two wickets for 16 before Jesse Ryder (83) and Ross Taylor (43) came to the rescue with a stand of 124. Kane Williamson’s late fling for 38 helped New Zealand surpass 200. Facing such a small total, South Africa motored easily to 108 for three when the wheels came off following Kallis’ dismissal for 47. Nerves set in as it lost its next three wickets for 20 runs before being bundled out for 172. The 6-foot-6, man-of-the-match, Jacob Oram, captured four for 39 and Nathan McCallum three for 24 as they demolished the Proteas to maintain a proud record of six out of 10 appearances in the semis.

“There are no words to describe how I feel,’’ said a devastated Smith. “Just have to take it on the chin. Very disappointing evening. I thought we bowled pretty well. Credit to Jesse Ryder.” He had no answer as to why South Africa keeps failing to perform at the World Cup. “Your guess is as good as mine, it’s been happening since 1992. We have got some big positives out of the World Cup. We weren’t good enough tonight, but we have to take it forward and not get bogged down. We are disappointed with tonight, and nothing I say is going to change that for fans back home.’’

Cricket Kenya to review World Cup defeat

Cricket Kenya has announced a comprehensive review of the team's disastrous World Cup campaign, where they lost all their six league games to bow out before the knockouts. The review will take in every aspect of the squad's preparation and performance at the event and will be conducted by board officials and chief executive Tom Sears, with assistance from the ICC. Since beating Canada in their opening match of the 2007 World Cup, Kenya have lost 14 successive 50-over matches in major tournaments (World Cups and the ICC World Cricket League Division One).

They were one of only two teams to end the World Cup winless, a huge fall from grace for a team that reached the semi-finals of the 2003 tournament, and used to be one of the leading Associates. The lowest point of their campaign was the defeat against a Canadian outfit comprised of semi-professional expats. "Clearly our performances at the World Cup have been completely unacceptable and a radical overhaul of our national squad is necessary," Sears said. "The team was comprehensively beaten in all six matches and aside from one creditable performance against Australia, the displays we saw were simply not good enough.

"An enormous amount of time, money and resources have been invested into the squad, and our most experienced player Steve Tikolo stated this was the best preparation any Kenyan squad had enjoyed prior to the World Cup. There has been no return on that investment which amounts to well over $700,000 in the last 12 months and clearly this cannot be tolerated. We will look at every facet of our national team structure and composition and make recommendations on all areas we feel where change is necessary.

I anticipate these will be widespread across all areas of the game." The review will include detailed reports from key personnel including team coach Eldine Baptiste, captain Jimmy Kamande, the team manager, and board member John Moyi, who travelled with the squad. Additionally, members of the team management and players will be interviewed in depth. The review will be finalised by May, following which recommendations on changes will be put to the board.

World Cup ‘Potentially Greatest Ever’

The president of the International Cricket Council, Sharad Pawar, has praised the ongoing World Cup, saying it is “potentially the greatest and most dramatic ever.” “We have surely been treated to a real feast of 50-over cricket with some outstanding games,” Mr. Pawar said in a statement. “Some people have been predicting the demise of 50-over cricket but they have been proven wrong throughout ‘The Cup that Counts’.” It’s hard to disagree – the group stage produced many more thrilling matches than expected, often involving an England team seemingly hell-bent on putting its supporters through as much suffering and angst as possible.

Despite the occasional upset, the eight teams through to the knock-out stage are the ones that everyone expected to progress: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies. And no doubt that is what the ICC was hoping for when it changed the tournament format following the 2007 event in the West Indies, when Pakistan and India were both knocked out early, taking millions of global viewers with them. It would be fair to say that this has at least been the greatest and most dramatic first round ever, and that’s no easy feat considering the many mismatches that are part and parcel of any world cup, even football.

The associate teams, particularly Ireland, should take credit for their contribution to the tournament, but it’s still tough to argue against the decision to slim the 2015 World Cup down to 10 countries from 14 this year. It’s been going for a month, but the 2011 Cricket World Cup only now really gets underway. Will Mr. Pawar’s prediction come true? Well, it’s hardly been a great World Cup for subjective supporters of Kenya – a team that has slumped since surprisingly reaching the semifinals in 2003. But for most viewers and fans it’s certainly provided enough thrills and the tournament is now shaping up nicely with the drool-inducing quarterfinals in store this week: Pakistan vs. West Indies, India vs. Australia, South Africa vs. New Zealand and Sri Lanka vs. England.

The organizers will probably be secretly hoping that India prevails against Australia on Thursday, as tournaments often suffer when a host gets knocked out. Advertisers will also be cheering for India in the hope that television viewership grows as the World Cup progresses. Mr. Pawar noted that television audience figures for this World Cup have already set new records. “The India vs. England match was the most viewed game in ICC Cricket World Cup history with multi-millions in India alone tuning in,” he said.

That record will surely be broken this week when India takes on reigning champions Australia. But forget, for a moment, whether or not this could be the greatest and most dramatic World Cup ever, for Thursday alone could very well see the greatest and most dramatic match, ever.

Only good-looking receives for World Cup final

A huge turnout of foreigners is expected for the final match of the cricket World Cup to be played at Wankhede Stadium on April 2. In view of this, the city police commissioner Arup Patnaik has started a drive for a makeover of the police image. He has decided to have only well-mannered and presentable cops on security duty on the D-day, said police sources. Policemen who are in the habit of chewing gutkha or tobacco will be ruled out.

According to police sources, in the last meeting with senior police officers, the commissioner briefed them about security measures to be implemented at the stadium for the final match. He had also pointed out that several foreigners are expected to come for the match, and so the image of the city police has to be taken care of.

“The commissioner has asked all deputy commissioners to choose tall, well-built and slim policemen for the bandobast duty. They should look healthy and be seen as competent. There is a tendency among our policemen to behave rudely at times. However, this is going to be an international event, and so the city police should look good and behave well,” said a senior police official.

He added that utmost care has been taken in this regard, as cricket aficionados from across the world are expected to come for the match. “The commissioner said that our policemen should look smart, young and energetic. They should be able to communicate well with people, including foreigners,” said the official, adding that the commissioner has strictly prohibited overweight and tobacco-chewing policemen from World Cup duty.

Around 1,400 policemen will be on bandobast duty around the stadium. The traffic police have chosen nearly 100 good-looking policemen, with good communication skills, for the job. “Foreigners will be required to walk to the stadium, as vehicles will not be allowed close to the venue. As a result, we have chosen these men especially to guide spectators to the stadium,” said an officer from the traffic police.

Patnaik himself has been taking stock of the security for the World Cup matches and has also visited the site on a few occasions.